Martin Wanless and his wife Jane have trained at Ettington, near Stratford-upon-Avon, for 15 years and their blue and orange colours have become a familiar site on racecourses as far apart as Revesby Park and Umberleigh – both venues at which they have good records. Fortunate enough to have access to some of Britain’s top jockeys for the horses they own themselves, they are increasingly training for novice owner-riders and – last year – had two winners with champion trainer Tom Ellis. Late starters this season, without a runner until mid-January, I went to see them just before their campaign kicked-off to find out more.
Arriving at the yard, 12 of whose 15 boxes are filled with pointers to run this season, I was immediately struck by the footballs hanging by each stable. "All our horses have them," explains Jane. "They play with them all day." And as we wait for jockeys Zak Baker (Arcadian Prince), Eoin Linehan (You Know The Story) and George Prince (Fab Vinnie) to mount, Martin and Jane – accompanied by New Zealander Joy Darrah, studying at Moreton Morrell college and in her second season with the yard – tell me their story.
Northumberland-born Martin used to be a rider in the Northern area. "I've been involved all my life," he confirms. "Dad rode when you could still hack to your local point-to-points and was a farmer and a big hunting man. I cut my teeth with the Haydon pony club and used to team chase, show jump and do gymkhanas. I started at Arthur Stephenson's," he continues, "Before going to work for Peter Monteith. I had my first ride in the Haydon Members at Corbridge in 1983, which I won on Dalham. I once rode a big priced double at Alnwick – the first leg was on Auld Yud. He hadn't run for two years as he'd broken down on in front and the starter warned, 'Wanless is on a nutter!' But we were never headed. When I was at Garthorpe with Tom and Gina Ellis last year, Peter Burgon the PRO asked who I was and Tom said, 'That little fat git there!'"
Jane (nee Froggatt) comes from a long line of Staffordshire pointing people. "My granddad, father, uncle, cousin and I all rode in our family colours of blue and old gold," she says proudly. "And we all won in them. We used to train the horses ourselves – I only had a few rides and only rode Dad's horses but I thought that, as I was doing all the work, I might as well have a go!" Jane's career in the saddle resulted in two winners, the first of them – The Boiler White at Thorpe Lodge in 1997 – claiming a notable scalp in Jill Dawson.
When they got together, Jane already had horses at home – Abbots Bromley, near Uttoxeter. They then moved to Hill Ridware, near Rugeley and gradually built up their string before coming to Ettington in 2011. "We wanted somewhere with better facilities – we used to train them from a single shed with partitions down the middle!" confirms Jane. "And to be able to live on site, which makes a lot of difference as we didn't like leaving the horses."
In addition to being the named keeper of their joint yard, Martin is also a bloodstock agent and horse transporter. "I'd always bought and sold ponies," he tells me, "And now I buy yearlings and thoroughbreds – I've sold a lot of winners. I had a transport business for 28 years before joining George Mullins, Willie's brother, as I was getting tired of being on the road seven days a week. But I still work for him – harder than ever – doing sales and getting customers." "I never see him between September and Christmas," jokes Jane, "Apart from when he wants Sunday lunch or his washing done!"
Martin's involvement in the buying and selling of horses leads to an obvious question: what do they look for in a horse? "I buy all of ours privately from Ireland," confirms Martin. "I tried French horses but they gave me headaches – they cost good money and then there was the paperwork… The Irish have a good standard of horse and, as long as they've got a pedigree, you're OK. They break them in at three and run them at four carrying eleven-and-a-half stone."
"Not every horse is a four or five-year-old – a lot need time." adds Jane. "Look at Big Man Doe (their seven-time winner, who is being given the season off to recover from a minor injury). He had no form at that age and now he's the best we've had. We see the potential in horses that need time – and I like a project!" Martin continues on the same theme. "When Fab Vinnie came, he was weak but after a couple of months, we knew he'd be OK and he won second time out. You just need patience."
Despite being based in Warwickshire, Martin and Jane qualify their horses with the North Cotswold. Jane explains why. "They've always been very friendly, pleasant people and included us in things, so we like to support them." Jane and Martin are both keen hunting people, Jane saying, "I used to love hunting when I was with the Meynell & South Staffordshire and David Barker was Huntsman and Johnny Greenall was Master. I looked after Prince Charles' hunters for six years – David said, 'I've got a little job for you', and I had to be vetted, but I was honoured to be asked!" However, despite this, Martin and Jane no longer hunt their pointers. Jane's reason is "Time – if you've got a yard full of horses, you can't go out all day."
Martin and Jane have no desire to train professionally, nor to turn their hobby into a business. "You have to fork out a lot of money (if you want to buy and sell young horses)," Jane confirms, "And we prefer to keep it simple." Martin is pragmatic about the economic realities of pointing. "Everything's got so expensive – entry fees, qualification – prize money's the only thing that hasn't gone up, it's a joke." As a bloodstock agent, he's also realistic about the difficulty of turning a profit. "To get a half-decent horse, you need to pay £30-£40,000. You see horses going to the sales (after they've won a point) and making £100,000 plus but not many horses make that much. I know what every horse costs - and how much it costs to train them. That's why I buy my horses privately – I don't want people to know how much I spend!"
"I buy 99% of my horses over the telephone or in the pub," continues Martin. "That's how I was taught – my Dad used to go into a field with 20-30 horses and say, "I'll have that, that and that… There was no pussyfooting around. Mind you, you should see the state of some of the horses I buy!"
After the first lot have galloped, Zak, Eoin and George swap mounts for schooling along the one-mile stretch that was once a railway line – Zak is on So Winner, Eoin on Lucky Lucarno and George on his grandfather's Borrowed An Blue. Zak, along with Gina and Jack Andrews, rides Martin's pointers regularly, so I ask Martin how he manages to secure the services of some of our top jockeys. "My horses are well-schooled," he responds proudly. "If I say they can jump, they can jump. If you want to be the best, you need the best – you have to have top riders, otherwise you might as well leave the horse at home."
"It's a great sport," is Martin's summary of point-to-pointing, although he confesses, "I don't have a clue how to get more people involved – there's nothing you can do to change it." Pressed further, he would like to see a reduction in the cost of entrance and racecards for the general public, while Jane's main gripe is a lack of access to the printed word. "The older generation haven't got internet access," she explains. "The likes of my father have had to rely on me. When we were riding, you had both the Sporting Life and the Racing Post, then Pointing Plus. You used to see the entries on a Wednesday – why can't they put them in the paper now?"
Something both Martin and Jane would like to see is more Mares races. "We bought three mares one year specifically for the Mares series, then they got rid of most of them," grumbles Jane. "You need Mares races, adds Martin, "Because you need mares to run, as they'll fetch more money when you breed from them."
I close, as so often, by asking what Martin and Jane love about pointing. For Jane, it's the horse as a project. Martin laughs. "It's great for me to bring a horse home and say to Jane, 'Get on with it!" His final words, in response to why he's involved, are succinct. "What else am I going to do?"
Martin & Jane's Five to Follow
Arcadian Prince
A five-year-old half-brother to Fab Vinnie. He'll need time and won't run until late February or March. It's too early to know where to take him.
Fab Vinnie
Needs good ground and won't run until he gets it. We've got a lot of hopes for him – he's matured a lot and is a stronger horse now, who's finding things easier than he did last season.
Fire Ahead
Ex-Ian Williams. A seven-year-old who's has a few runs but is still a Maiden. We've no plans for him yet – he's had a wind operation and has just started cantering. Half-owned by Rob Fox, who's new to the yard, and may run at Horseheath on Saturday.
Lucky Lucarno
Came from Sue Smith's and still a Maiden, but has been placed round tracks in the North. He's showing a lot of promise and is half-owned by us and half by George Goodman – he's replaced George's Monetaire. Made his debut for us at Cocklebarrow.
You Know The Story
At Intermediate level now. She came from Ireland – Martin bought her in a pub (!) and has won a Dingley Maiden and an Edgcote Restricted. (Jockey) Gina Andrews loves her and she'll make a nice Ladies horse. She's ground-dependent.
George Prince
23-year-old George Prince has an unusual background for an aspiring jockey. "I used to play rugby," he explains, "And was at the Leicester Tigers Academy until I was 20. When I left, I thought I'd give pointing a go – I've always been interested in racing and my granddad had horses with Martin and Jane – but I had to get down from thirteen stone to eleven!" George has had 17 rides, the first coming on What A Joke at Brampton Bryan in April 2018. "'Joker' was also my first winner," he smiles, "At my local meeting at Garthorpe in June that year. And I've had a spin round Cheltenham on him."
All George's rides to date have been for Claire Hardwick but his grandfather Roy has Borrowed An Blue in training with Martin and Jane for him to ride. "He was consistent in Maidens but unlucky in Ireland," George tells me. "He's mild-mannered and has a nice temperament and we hope he can get his head in front. We're waiting for the ground to dry and may go to Horseheath this weekend."
As for George, "I was under a lot of pressure when I played rugby but I've got no riding ambitions other than to enjoy it – anything else would be a bonus!"
